Night Light
by Shipperwolf
Summary: Pepper comes to check in on Tony in the middle of the night. Post-first film.


Hello all! This is my first Iron Man fic, so i do hope it does the movie and its characters justice .

Plz enjoy and let me know what you think, constructive critisim welcome of course.

Disclaimer: the usual, not owning, wanting to, knowing i never will...that sort of thing. :P

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Pepper knew her boss was eccentric.

She knew he was (madly) happy no matter what the situation, although in all honesty that was often due to his drinking habit.

She knew he was a wisecrack, blurting out anything and everything that came to mind whenever he felt the need.

She knew he was a genius in every sense of the word….the brightly colored metal deathtrap that stood quiet in the next room was proof of that.

She knew Tony Stark was in many ways, completely and totally insane.

But having a bed put in his lab was just going too far.

And actually sleeping in it….was going even farther.

Pepper stood in the doorway of the lab. Jarvis hummed quietly, apparently at the request of his master, although she could not place the tune.

A work lamp sat on a table to the right of his bed, sending rather creepy shadows scattering across the room.

The "Iron Man" suit stood dark in the corner, practically mocking her constant concern for its pilot.

Said pilot lay sprawled on the full-sized bed, the blanket bunched down at his feet, the pillows in disarray.

He was literally living in his lab now, intent on making a few modifications to his suit, while simultaneously getting some much needed privacy after the little "I am Iron Man" fiasco.

It seemed no matter how many people begged and pleaded for more information, for exclusive interviews, for anything at all, Tony remained silent about his alter-ego after his initial confession.

He never admitted to regretting it however, whether he truly did or not.

Sighing, Pepper checked her watch: 2:15 am riled its ugly head at her.

And she still wasn't finished with the pile of papers that smothered her office desk.

They would have to wait, though…she was exhausted.

A rustle had her head snapping up to see Tony shifting in his sleep. His arms came to rest above his head, and his right leg dared to dangle off the side of the bed.

Pepper's natural need to tend to Tony's welfare kicked in as she imagined him rolling over and hitting the floor overnight, giving himself yet another concussion….as if he didn't have enough bruises and scrapes from his super-hero shenanigans.

So, as quietly and carefully as she could, she 'pitter-padded' across the room to where Tony lay, and, with a gulp that could be heard from space, moved to place the loose leg back onto the bed.

Her touch sent him shifting again, pulling the leg back onto the bed himself, as if unconsciously knowing her intentions.

Or perhaps, Pepper thought, it wasn't unconscious at all.

Leaning forward, she watched as his chest rose and fell in a perfect, slow, deep harmony.

He certainly appeared to be asleep, but with Tony, Pepper knew anything was possible.

The lamp shone directly onto his face, and, despite the urge to simply sit and look at his devilishly handsome features, she reached forward and turned it off.

The room suddenly changed: the various lab stations Tony had set up vanished from sight, along with the suit, and Pepper was immediately aware that she could no longer see the doorway out.

She knew the layout of the house enough to find her way in the dark, however.

Besides…the white-blue light that surrounded the bed provided at least some guidance.

Pepper stared tiredly into the orb that rested in her employer's chest, its glow mesmerizing, and simultaneously comforting.

The shadows of his face changed once the lamp went off, and it was his eyebrows, nose and lips that were most visible with the arc's glow.

Lips that parted slightly, as Tony let out a soft, nearly silent sigh, and then, the corners of his mouth lifted.

"I must have missed the memo of our scheduled sleepover, Miss Potts. Not that I ever pay much attention to memos anyway. I think, though, I would have recalled this one."

Tony's eyes cracked open, and Pepper grimaced.

He had been playing possum, it seemed, since she entered the room.

"I was…just checking in on you, sir. You spend nearly all your time down here, and I was, um…concerned, sir."

Her stuttered response sent him chuckling, and it was now obvious that he was fully and completely awake.

"Cut the 'sir' bit, Pepper. And stop worrying, I'm just busy, is all. I need to make some serious repairs to the suit, before I go blow myself up again."

Pepper's stomach dropped at his words, and apparently, the drop was visible, for just as quickly as it had come, Tony's light-hearted demeanor drifted away into a sudden seriousness.

His hand came up to her chin, and a single finger commanded her head to turn and look at him directly.

"I was kidding, Pepper. Tell you what, in the morning--" he stopped to look at the clock beside the bed, " I mean, in a few hours, I'll come upstairs, and at least TRY not to come back down here for….I don't know…a few more hours. Sound fair?" He smiled then, and Pepper just knew that one day, that smile would be the end of her.

She could only nod in response, and watched as his smile turned into a smirk.

Out of nowhere the playboy was back, and she knew if she sat there any longer, he would eventually make a crack about her being in his bed.

Pepper moved to stand, but in the glow of the arc, a hand reached out to grab her arm and pull her back slightly.

Tony leaned forward suddenly to bring his lips to her ear, and the hot breath against her skin sent her entire body ablaze.

"You know, you can just come out and tell me that you think the arc generator is sexy. And, if you happen to be afraid of the dark…I can be your personal night-light."

Pepper let out a small groan, in both lust and irritation.

He HAD to get one out before he let her leave…

And this one was actually working.

The grip on her arm was gone, suddenly, and Tony leaned back to look her in the eyes.

The insane smirk on his face made her want to both kiss and kill him.

She settled for plan C: get the hell away from him as fast as possible.

Pepper quickly stood and began backing out of the arc's glow, eyes still locked with Tony's, the darkness of the room beginning to encircle her.

"Goodnight, Mr. Stark."

Abruptly she turned, a deep sigh washing away all the pent up emotion that had threatened to spill from her mouth.

As she reached for the door handle, her memory guiding her in the dark, Tony's voice called back to her, ensuring she would get no sleep whatsoever that night.

"Goodnight, Pepper. And remember what I said about the night-light."


End file.
